Top 25 things I would like to do…..

Top 25 things to do before I die……

Post sky diving in New Zealand, my sky diving master said that this is some 35th thing most of the people have in there top 100 basket and I wondered whether everyone have their own set of things that the would want to do before they die but because of variable reasons very few end up pursuing that dream. Below are top 25 things that I would like to do as soon as possible……

• Sky dive / learn sky dive
• Skiing
• Bungy Jumping
• Scuba diving
• Surfing
• Hire a yacht
• Do a 360 degree spin a car
• Learn to play a song on Guitar / drums
• Visit all 7 continents
• Visit all 7 wonders from all time list
• Watch Cricket at Lords
• Visit Brazil's Carnival
• Turn off the mobile for atleast a week
• Meditate for atleast one hour without breaks for entire week
• Swim naked in a sea / ocean
• Play football at an international club football field
• Watch MANU paly at Old Trafford
• Complete a marathon
• Attend Olympics
• Thank everyone who provides any sort of learning in your life
• Help someone in need for atleast 30 days in an year
• Pledge for eye donation
• Take parents on a cruise
• Write story of my life
• Study Law

Lets see how and when I can complete these things

Marriage Certificate application process

Things to learn from Japan

‎​10 things to learn from Japan -

1. THE CALM
Not a single visual of chest-beating or wild grief. Sorrow itself has been elevated.

2. THE DIGNITY
Disciplined queues for water and groceries. Not a rough word or a crude gesture.

3. THE ABILITY
The incredible architects, for instance. Buildings swayed but didn’t fall.

4. THE GRACE
People bought only what they needed for the present, so everybody could get something.

5. THE ORDER
No looting in shops. No honking and no overtaking on the roads. Just understanding.

6. THE SACRIFICE
Fifty workers stayed back to pump sea water in the N-reactors. How will they ever be repaid?

7. THE TENDERNESS
Restaurants cut prices. An unguarded ATM is left alone. The strong cared for the weak.

8. THE TRAINING
The old and the children, everyone knew exactly what to do. And they did just that.

9. THE MEDIA
They showed magnificent restraint in the bulletins. No silly reporters. Only calm reportage. 

10. THE CONSCIENCE
When the power went off in a store, people put things back on the shelves and left quietly

— Forwarded mail from my friend

Harsha Bhogle – after India – SA Match ….. Hats off….

Remember when you failed an examination. How many people recall that, your class, friends, relatives? You failed to make it to the IITs or IIMs. Who remembers. How many times have you had the feeling of being the best in your class, school , university, state….., you failed to get a visa stamped this quarter…, you missed a promotion this year…, how did it feel when you dad told you in your early twenties that you are good for nothing…..and now your boss tell you the same…

You keep introspecting and go into a shell when people most of whom don’t matter a dime in your life criticize you, back bite you, make fun of you. You are left sad and shattered and you cry when your own kin scoffs at you. You say I am feeling low today. It takes a lot from us to come out of these everyday situations and move on. A lot??? really?

Now here’s a man standing on the third man boundary in the last over of a world cup match. The bowler just has to bowl sensibly to win this game. What the man at the boundary sees is 4 rank bad bowls bowled without any sense of focus, planning or regret. India loses, yet again in those circumstances when he has done just about everything right. He does not cry. Does not show any emotion. Just keeps his head down and leaves the field. 

He has seen these failures for 22 years now. And not just his class, relatives, friends but the whole world has seen these failures. We are too immature to even imagine what goes on in that mind and heart of his. That’s why I would never want to be Sachin.

True, he has single handedly lifted to moods of this entire nation umpteen number of times. He has been an inspiration to rise above our mediocrity. Nobody who has ever lifted the willow even comes close to this man’s genius. His dedication and metal strength is unparallel. This is specially for those people who would have made fun of him again last night when India lost. They are people who are mediocre in their own lives. Who just scoff at others to create cheap fun. Who have lived in a small hole throughout their lives and thought they have seen the oceans.

Think about the man himself. He is 37 years of age. He has been playing almost non stop for 22 years. The way he was running and diving around the field last night would have put 22 year olds to shame. The way he played the best opening quickies in the world was breathtaking. He just keeps getting better which is by the way humanly impossible. Its not for nothing that people call him GOD.

But still I don’t want to be in those shoes. We struggle in keeping our monotonous lives straight, lives which affect a limited number of people. Imagine what would be the magnitude of the inner struggle for him, pain both mental and physical, tears that have frozen with time, knees and ankles and every other joint in the body that is either bandaged or needs to be attended to every night, eyes that don’t sleep before a big game, bats that have scored 99 international tons and still see expectations from a billion people.

And he just converts those expectations into reality. We watch in awe, feel privileged.
Well I think its time that his team realizes that enough is enough. They have an obligation, not towards their country alone but towards Sachin. They need to win this one for him. Stay assured that he himself will still deliver and leave no stone unturned to make sure India wins this cup. This is not just a game, and he is not just a sportsman. Its much more than this. Words fail here…..

— HARSHA BHOGLE

Things to learn from Japan

‎​10 things to learn from Japan -

1. THE CALM
Not a single visual of chest-beating or wild grief. Sorrow itself has been elevated.

2. THE DIGNITY
Disciplined queues for water and groceries. Not a rough word or a crude gesture.

3. THE ABILITY
The incredible architects, for instance. Buildings swayed but didn’t fall.

4. THE GRACE
People bought only what they needed for the present, so everybody could get something.

5. THE ORDER
No looting in shops. No honking and no overtaking on the roads. Just understanding.

6. THE SACRIFICE
Fifty workers stayed back to pump sea water in the N-reactors. How will they ever be repaid?

7. THE TENDERNESS
Restaurants cut prices. An unguarded ATM is left alone. The strong cared for the weak.

8. THE TRAINING
The old and the children, everyone knew exactly what to do. And they did just that.

9. THE MEDIA
They showed magnificent restraint in the bulletins. No silly reporters. Only calm reportage. 

10. THE CONSCIENCE
When the power went off in a store, people put things back on the shelves and left quietly

— Forwarded mail from my friend

Harsha Bhogle – after India – SA Match ….. Hats off….

Remember when you failed an examination. How many people recall that, your class, friends, relatives? You failed to make it to the IITs or IIMs. Who remembers. How many times have you had the feeling of being the best in your class, school , university, state….., you failed to get a visa stamped this quarter…, you missed a promotion this year…, how did it feel when you dad told you in your early twenties that you are good for nothing…..and now your boss tell you the same…

You keep introspecting and go into a shell when people most of whom don’t matter a dime in your life criticize you, back bite you, make fun of you. You are left sad and shattered and you cry when your own kin scoffs at you. You say I am feeling low today. It takes a lot from us to come out of these everyday situations and move on. A lot??? really?

Now here’s a man standing on the third man boundary in the last over of a world cup match. The bowler just has to bowl sensibly to win this game. What the man at the boundary sees is 4 rank bad bowls bowled without any sense of focus, planning or regret. India loses, yet again in those circumstances when he has done just about everything right. He does not cry. Does not show any emotion. Just keeps his head down and leaves the field. 

He has seen these failures for 22 years now. And not just his class, relatives, friends but the whole world has seen these failures. We are too immature to even imagine what goes on in that mind and heart of his. That’s why I would never want to be Sachin.

True, he has single handedly lifted to moods of this entire nation umpteen number of times. He has been an inspiration to rise above our mediocrity. Nobody who has ever lifted the willow even comes close to this man’s genius. His dedication and metal strength is unparallel. This is specially for those people who would have made fun of him again last night when India lost. They are people who are mediocre in their own lives. Who just scoff at others to create cheap fun. Who have lived in a small hole throughout their lives and thought they have seen the oceans.

Think about the man himself. He is 37 years of age. He has been playing almost non stop for 22 years. The way he was running and diving around the field last night would have put 22 year olds to shame. The way he played the best opening quickies in the world was breathtaking. He just keeps getting better which is by the way humanly impossible. Its not for nothing that people call him GOD.

But still I don’t want to be in those shoes. We struggle in keeping our monotonous lives straight, lives which affect a limited number of people. Imagine what would be the magnitude of the inner struggle for him, pain both mental and physical, tears that have frozen with time, knees and ankles and every other joint in the body that is either bandaged or needs to be attended to every night, eyes that don’t sleep before a big game, bats that have scored 99 international tons and still see expectations from a billion people.

And he just converts those expectations into reality. We watch in awe, feel privileged.
Well I think its time that his team realizes that enough is enough. They have an obligation, not towards their country alone but towards Sachin. They need to win this one for him. Stay assured that he himself will still deliver and leave no stone unturned to make sure India wins this cup. This is not just a game, and he is not just a sportsman. Its much more than this. Words fail here…..

— HARSHA BHOGLE

Interaction with God of cricket, Sachin Tendulkar – Dream come True

 

I will put the events in the sequence that I witnessed from the time we were informed that he is coming and till he left RBS premises as it is how it will always stay in my memory I know many would have met him or interacted with him or not interested at all but what comes ahead is something that is Legen….dary for me..So if you are someone who is not interested, I would advise you, not to read ahead

 

On 31 August 2010, around 16:51 hrs we got a mail from RBS MD that Sachin Tendulkar will we visiting our premises next day i.e. 1st September, 2010 around 12:00 hrs. From that moment on, we could feel the change in the air as everyone was so excited by the mere thought of seeing Sachin Tendulkar. The interaction which was supposed to be a Q & A session was arranged in a place which could accommodate around 100-150 people max, so each business unit had to give a list of people who would attend and the best way to arrive at this was a lucky draw system. Almost all the units` list were out by the same day but not ours. But I and couple of my colleagues decided to come early (my office timings start officially at 12:30 hrs) just to get glance of Sachin Tendulkar, irrespective of our name being there in the list or not. By this time I had informed my best friend and my brother in law who are both great fans of Sachin (like me and many others) and I am sure they were happy but at the same time, would have abused me at me getting the opportunity :)

 

Then came D day, from the time I woke up I was excited to get glimpse of SRT (remember I mentioned Lucky draw and I always considered that I can never win in any Lucky draw, never ever had happened till date) but fate had something stored and I was shortlisted amongst my BU (along with many other colleagues) to be present in the room where the interaction was supposed to be held (this, my friends say is because of the additional Lady-luck that is now with me in form of my better half )

 

I will directly skip to the part when SACHIN TENDULKAR made his appearance.. The wait (more than an hour) was worth it. You could see everyone in awe as he is someone who has reached billion people's heart and still counting… Our MD gave a short introduction speech and without wasting much time, opened the floor for Q & A.

 

It was time for first question and I was still in different world and so someone else got an opportunity to ask the first question. He also was in different world as he didn't know what to speak for first couple of seconds (he confessed by saying that and asked for sometime to get back to reality). His questions were so long and so many, that it gave me time to come back to reality (even Sachin asked him to repeat the questions after he finished as he forgot what was is first question). During the entire duration, I kept my arms up hoping to get a chance to ask the next question and I was culled for the same.

 

I always wanted to tell this to him and I precisely did that, I told him that I share my birthday with him and it will be an honour for me the entire lifetime. He replied back with a kiddish smile that he is so famous for even at 37 yrs of age. I heard some random female commenting back saying that I was no way near Sachin even after sharing the birthday, but I guess she didn't get the point. I acknowledged the same and agreed that even if I achieve part of what Sachin has achieved as a human being, it would be satisfying. After this I asked him, "What drives him to give in the best in the same field for so many years, what is the inspiration behind his discipline over years. Being early part in our career, we would be delighted to know what did he do to achieve so much respect, so that even if we replicate part of that, it will surely help us in our future". I also referred to one of the statements that he had made in TOI, "that the results of the matches are not in his hands but the efforts during practice are in his hands, so give 100% in practice and hope the matches yield expected results". His reply to his was as sweet as his straight drive (I might not be able to type down the exact lines, but bhavnao ko samajhna…) He said - "You need to set correct priorities in life that will make you a better person and do the best to achieve that. You will be required to do certain things that you don't like in order to achieve something that you like the most (priorities come here). For eg. I don't like gyming, running (except when taking runs ) but for my first love i.e. cricket I have to do gyming and running. Also, one needs to have passion in what he/she does. If you don't have passion then create passion for what you do, it will help to get the best of results. Because without Passion, doing what you do is no fun and lastly he mentioned that whatever you do/achieve in your life, always remember that your ultimate goal should be to be a better human being." This suggestions are very useful for us, as we get so busy do forget our main priorities (be it family or friends) and also get bored of the work we do so easily.

 

I am listing down some of the other answers that he gave which can useful to everyone :

When asked whether Aryan will also become a cricketer, he said that his father, a professor and writer by profession, never forced him to become one and gave him freedom to follow career of his choice, in a similar way he will not force his son to be a cricketer. he will surely provide guidance if required (which I am sure, will be the best guidance anyone would have wished for). This he said will not result in some 21 year frustrated boy blaming his dad because he was forced into any field (cricket over here). Also, the freedom given by parents shouldn't be misused and think twice before acting as results of our acts are not only restricted to ourself and it will have effect on others too.

When asked about sledging he said, that he likes to be aggressive but only till the time he is control, the moment one becomes aggressive and looses control, one becomes a fool. So aggression is good only till the time it is controlled and see to it that game doesn't get affected by the aggression because at the end the games are meant to get best out of you and the team

Lastly when asked that many of his fellow cricketers who started their careers with/after him have retired and he is still going strong. He said that one needs to know ones body and not overdo.He said that one should not become a liability for the team, and he specifically mentioned that retirement is not on the cards any sooner which resulted in such a loud applause.

 

This was part of the interaction that we had and he surely bowled everyone out by his modesty and simplicity. Looking forward for many such opportunities. It might be difficult to imitate his achievements but at least doing what he has done as a human being will be awesome..

 

When he was leaving, people from various other offices in our premises came to catch a peak at SRT. Girls who are not used to stay in Sun for more than 5 mins, waited for more than 30 mins in order to see SRT. And seeing him for just 10 seconds before he boarded the car was a different feeling in itself.

I am attaching some of the pics that I could click and a 19 min

Video

(half video of the interaction)

– 

Regards,

Those were the days…. (It is really great. Don’t know who has compiled this but hats off to that person)

How did one survive growing up in the 80's and 90's? 
We had no seatbelts, no airbags.. 

Cycling was like a breath of fresh air… 

No safety helmets, knee pads or elbow pads, with plenty of cardboards between spokes to make it sound like a motorbike… 

When thirsty we only drank tap water, bottled water was still a mystery…

We kept busy collecting bits & pieces so we could build all sort of things … and we were fearless on our bicycles even when the brakes failed going downhill… 

We were showing off how tough we are, by how high we could climb trees & then jumping down….It was great fun…. 

We could stay out to play for hours, as long as we got back before dark, in time for dinner… 

We walked to school, or sometimes we even rode our bicycle. 

We had no mobile phones, but we always managed to find each other…. How? 

We lost teeth, broke arms & legs, we got cuts and bruises and bloody noses…. nobody complained as we had so much fun, it wasn't anybody's fault, only ours 

We ate everything in sight, cakes, bread, chocolate, ice-cream, sweet sugary drinks, fruits..yet, we stayed skinny by fooling around. 

And if one of us was lucky to find a 1 litre coca cola bottle we all had a swig from it & guess what? Nobody picked up any germs… 

We did not have Play Stations, MP3, Nintendo's, I-Pods, Video games, 99 Cable TV channels, DVD's, Home Cinema, Home Computers, Laptops, Chat-rooms, Internet, etc … 

BUT, we had REAL FRIENDS!!!! 

We called on friends to come out to play, never rang the doorbell, just went around the backdoor… 

We played with sticks and stones, played cowboys and Indians, doctors and nurses, hide and seek, soccer games, over and over again… 

When we failed our exams we were given a second chance by simply repeating the same grade…without visiting psychiatrists, psychologists or counselors… 

Such were the days… 

We had freedom, success, disappointments and responsibilities. .. 

Most of all, we learned to respect others… 

Are YOU from that generation?? If that's the case, email this to all your friends from the same era… 

Maybe this message will help them forget the stress that surrounds us these days….and just for a few moments puts a smile to their faces as they remember what life was really like in the good old days……

Kothaligad conquered……..

Kothaligad conquered……..

 

I had been pondering since a long time about the topic for my next blog and always ended up in a dilema. Then I got a wonderful idea (thanks to my friends) to write about the trips and the planning that goes behind that could be useful to others…..

The idea of trekking percolated from the plan of water rafting @ kolad, but that I will save it untill after my trip there.

 

The title does indicate the level of exuberance we faced after reaching the top of a trek for the first time….

 

Following can help you guys get a fair idea, if anyone of you is planning for a trek around Mumbai….

 

METERJAM: SAY NO TO AUTO/TAXI on AUGUST 12 —- WWW.METERJAM.COM

SAY NO TO AUTO/TAXI ON AUGUST 12, 2010

Because strikes need a strike back!  We're tired of meter that always
reads more than it should, drivers who refuse to ply and demand return
fare whenever they want. And if all that wasn't enough, now we have to
deal with strikes too, any time the 'unions' decide!

Everyone is holding the janta to ransom. How much more will we pay?
It's time to turn the tables. As AUTO / TAXI drivers in Mumbai are
planning to raise the meter rate from 11 Rs – 19 Rs  and for that they
are planning to go on strike on 26th Aug 2010.

So on 12th August, shake your head and say NO if an auto driver offers a ride!

REGISTER YOURSELF ON

WWW.METERJAM.COM

Please Spread the word and awareness !

High time these people realize the inconvenience they cause to the
public instead of providing convenience in first place.

Also , think of the pollution control we could contribute to by saying
no to Auto/Taxi’s.